Impressions from the fourth day of the Red Wings’ 2022 summer development camp

Going into tomorrow’s 2022 summer development camp finale–a set of 3-on-3 games which will be streamed on DetroitRedWings.com starting at 8 AM–the Detroit Red Wings’ prospects have focused on skill development, both on and off the ice.

Under the tutelage of skating coach Brodie Tutton, skill development coaches Dwayne Blais and Kevin Galerno, goaltending coach Phil Osaer and the balance of the Wings’ personnel in attendance (including assistant director of player development Dan Cleary, jack-of-many-trades Niklas Kronwall and Grand Rapids Griffins coach Ben Simon), the prospects’ on-ice focus during Day One, Day Two and Day Three squarely lay upon improving skating, puck-handling and overall on-ice skills.

Off the ice, the 37 participants (Simon Edvinsson was still absent as of Wednesday), the prospects have been working with director of sports science Mike Barwis to learn how to work out properly and rest and recover from exertion, team nutritionist Lisa McDowell to learn about nutrition, and the Wings’ prospects have engaged in courses to learn to deal with both the print media and social media, they’ve talked to a sports psychologist…

And, in general, the players have been purposefully bombarded by information over the past four days, for the sake of giving each and every one of them–regardless of whether they’re top prospects or participating in the apex of their hockey careers this very week–all the tools necessary with which to self-improve and reach out to others in order to develop into successful professional athletes (or at least successful professional people).

On Wednesday, however, things were a little different. As free agency was going to unfold as the day progressed, GM Steve Yzerman and assistant GM Shawn Horcoff only made brief appearances in the executive suite overlooking the BELFOR Training Center, and a couple of scouts took in the early sessions–as did coach Derek Lalonde (and his oldest son), watching from the stands–but by 11 AM, the executive suite was empty.

Perhaps just as importantly, skating coach Brodie Tutton’s wiffe, Tracy Tutton, was the person in charge of the skating drills for the forwards of Team Howe, the defensemen of both Teams Howe and Lindsday, and then the forwards of Team Lindsay.

She employed the same teaching methods, including a lot of use of iPads for shooting video of the players as they skated (for feedback purposes) and as a teaching tool, illustrating what drills the players were going to do next, but while Mr. Tutton focused on proper skating technique in terms of fundamentals, Mrs. Tutton focused on edge-work almost exclusively.

How much so? So much so that the players skated forwards, backwards, laterally, with their toes 180 degrees apart and with and without pucks in circles. Lots and lots and lots of circles, around the center ice faceoff circle, the four faceoff dots, throughout the defensive zone, circles, circles, circles. Eventually, those circular motions included shots on net or passes to teammates, but the emphasis was on balance, crossovers, and the use of the edges of the players’ skates while changing direction.

Skill development consultant Dwayne Blais’ drills attempted to incorporate some of Mrs. Tutton’s skating emphasis, but the basics of Blais’ skill-developing drills still included set plays on dump-ins, break-outs, for defensemen, holding the blueline while taking and receiving passes, and, for goaltenders, often incorporating screened shots and rebounds into the mix when possible.

As I’m working on five or less hours of sleep for the fourth day in a row, I’ve had to cover the first day of free agency on Twitter and on the blog, and I have to get up incredibly early tomorrow for a set of 3-on-3 games which begin at 8 (so I have to be at the rink at 7 AM sharp), I’m going to offer briefer assessments of what I witnessed today as it applies to observations regarding the Red Wings’ 37 prospect participants.

I hope this is okay with you. I’m doing so for the sake of being awake and alert after today’s events and for tomorrow’s games, because if I were to write as much as I would like, I’m gonna be honest, I might not sleep at all tonight. And as much as I know you and I both love talking about prospects, I cannot do this job for very long if I wear my tired self into dust.

I might talk about getting kicked out of the rink today at some point in the future, too, but that is a story for another day.

Anyway:

TEAM HOWE:

Forwards:

#56 Pasquale Zito, LW: The 19-year-old Zito has not yet made an appearance at the Red Wings’ summer development camp, and that’s disappointing. The plucky center/wing who played this past season for the Windsor Spitfires, and will play for the Niagara IceDogs this upcoming season, lost a year’s worth of development during his draft year due to the pandemic, and his 42 points in 49 games were solid, but the instigating forward does need to smooth out his game, in terms of skating and in terms of fundamentals. He’s going to be going into his 19-year-old season with more to prove.

#58 Riley Piercey, RW**: A free agent invite from the Flint Firebirds of the OHL, the 6’3,” 212-pound winger posted a superb 58 points in 59 games for Flint, but the 20-year-old just hasn’t stood out as the kind of “bonus draft pick” who might warrant a contract before heading back to the OHL. He’s big enough, he skates well enough, and his hands are good, but there’s not been much to write home about.

#61 Ethan Phillips, C: Utterly maddening. The 5’10,” 160-pound Boston University senior is a tremendous skater, absolutely tremendous, but so many other aspects of his game just haven’t come together. The 21-year-old Phillips hasn’t been able to earn particularly consistent or particularly significant ice time with the Terriers, and when you watch him skate, when you watch him stick-handle, and when you watch him shoot or pass, you wonder what’s not there.

#62 Theodor Niederbach, C: Niederbach has professional form and professional skills, but he’s not quite ready to come over to North America, so where better to place him than in the SHL, where he’s going to try to earn a more regular shift with Rogle BK? AT 6′ and 190 pounds, the 20-year-old has made good strides over the course of two SHL seasons, but he feels that his time with Frolunda HC didn’t involve enough ice time, so it’s one more year in the SHL (at least) to develop a bit more physically (he’s very lanky) and to develop his scoring touch–a scoring touch which the long-stick-employing Niederbach possesses despite having posted only 16 points in 51 games this past season.

Over the course of only two days, I’ve seen marked improvement in terms of his overall game as compared to last summer’s World Junior Summer Showcase, and he’s a fantastic shooter and passer, he skates well, and he just needs more confidence in his ability to finish.

#72 Trenton Bliss, C*: Bliss is the resident Grand Rapids Griffins signee attending the development camp. At 24 years of age, the Michigan Tech graduate is probably going to be skating in the prospect tournament as part of the leadership group, and the 6’1,” 195-pound Bliss looks fully physically developed and fully ready to turn pro, despite his lack of razzle-dazzle during development camp.

#74 Cross Hanas, RW: Hanas impresses me more and more as I watch him more regularly. Right on the cusp of turning pro, with an “overage” season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks still possible, if not probable, he’s skinny at 6’1″ and 171 pounds. Like Niederbach, the 86-points-in-63-games scorer can be a little inconsistent in terms of his finishing, but he’s just a peg below Niederbach in terms of possessing middle-to-top-six shooting and passing skills, and while he has a heavy stride, he skates superbly well. Is he ready to join a stacked Grand Rapids team? I’m not certain, but he’s really close.

#84 Julien Anctil, C**: The 19-year-old free agent invite posted a superb 68 points in 67 games with the QMJHL’s Sherbrooke Phoenix, and at 6’2″ and 175 pounds, he’s got room to grow…Overall. Good skating, offensively adept hands, the skill set is there, but he’s not stood out over the course of three days’ worth of skill development sessions.

#87 Dylan James, LW: Quite raw! The 40th overall pick at last week’s draft in Montreal, the Red Wings seem to believe that the 6,’ 177-pound James will be able to overcome his slight stature because he’s a tremendous competitor with enthusiasm galore, and an edge. James could play one more season for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, where he posted 61 points in 62 games, but he’s heading to the University of North Dakota, which does not dole out ice time generously. He skates really well for his size (or the lack thereof) and he’s got a really solid skill set, but he’s very much 18 and very much in need of the kind of formative program that the Fighting Hawks should present him with.

#88 Liam Dower-Nilsson, C: Also looking to establish himself, LDN is a stocky player despite his 6,’ 174-pound status, and the Frolunda HC center didn’t post many points because he barely played in most of 10 games as Frolunda’s extra skater…But he dazzled at the Under-20 level, posting 50 points in 34 games, and LDN is an excellent scorer and passer whose innate skating skills are very good and improving. What he needs to do at 19 is establish himself as a regular in the men’s league, and I believe that the little guy with the big name is going to do just that this upcoming season.

#92 Marco Kasper, C: Kasper is a work in progress, too, but the 18-year-old 8th overall draft pick just needs to smooth out a few rough edges to his otherwise silky-smooth skill set to really shine with Rogle BK this upcoming season. Still a high school senior and working on getting his driver’s license, the mature, tri-lingual 6’1,” 183-pound center signed a contract with the Wings and went right out and busted his ass working on the skating drills and skill development drills which will help him truly establish himself as a dynamic two-way, second line center. What you see in Andrew Copp, edge included, I could see in Marco Kasper a couple seasons from now. He loves to work and learn and grow, and he’s going to be a successful pro player. Some things, you can just tell by looking.

#98 Brennan Ali, C: Ali, the 212th overall pick in last week’s draft, is, like Bliss, very raw in terms of his development. At 6′ and 193 pounds, he’s got some weight to him, and after dominating at the high school hockey level (34 points in 27 games in the Connecticut prep circuit), he’s headed to the USHL’s Lincoln Stars, where the plucky, enthusiastic and hard-working center will seek to establish himself among 18-to-22-year-olds. I believe that Ali has the work ethic to succeed.

Defensemen:

#3 Simon Edvinsson: The biggest bummer of development camp has been that it’s not open to the public. The second biggest bummer is that the 6’6,” 205-pound Frolunda HC graduate is not here. At 19 years of age, sharing a birthday with your favorite blogger (me), the 6th overall draft pick in 2021 is massive in terms of his wingspan, he’s still got a good ten to fifteen pounds to add to his frame, he’s an excellent skater in all three directions, he’s physical, he’s hard-nosed and hard-working, his shot and passing skills are second-pair and his self-assured professionalism is first-pair.

Is he going to make the Wings’ roster out of training camp? After the Wings’ free agent moves, I have my doubts, but a year in Grand Rapids never hurt Moritz Seider.

#51 Eemil Viro: Grand Rapids-bound after three seasons with TPS Turku of the Finnish Liiga, the 6,’ 176-pound Jack-of-all-trades has displayed some inconsistencies which indicate that he may have some trouble with the bump and grind of North American pro hockey…

But Viro is a tremendously mobile skater and good shooter and passer who fits into that 3/4 spot as a Brad Stuart-style Swiss Army Knife on defense, with underrated physicality and a surprising amount of strength for a wiry frame.

#78 Shai Buium: My hope is that Buium, who’s only 19 and going into his sophomore season at the University of Denver, continues to grow into that massive 6’3,” 220-pound frame and continues to grow as a Giraffe-awkward defenseman in form and a smooth, silky middle-pair professional-in-the-making in form. Buium won a national championship with teammate Carter Mazur this past spring, and he’s another hard-working self-improving type who skates excellently, gaps up well, has an edge to him and is still developing into what could be a behemoth of a 6’3,” 235-pound skilled banger. He posted 18 points in 39 games, and his offensive game has room to grow, too.

#79 Cedric Fielder**: Fielder is a free agent invite and a Western Michigan University junior is headed right back to school, but the 20-year-old and 6’3,” 204-pound native of Zug, Switzerland has been the best of the free agent try-outs in terms of his evident set of skills. Self-confident and smart, he’s a stay-at-home defender in terms of his point production, but his overall skill level is enough to have turned my head. He competes and completes drills with confidence, and he’s kept up with the best of the bunch.

#81 Cooper Moore: Going into his junior year at North Dakota, the 21-year-old defenseman came into NCAA hockey as an offensive producer, but the 6’2,” 190-pound skater hasn’t found his offensive form as of yet. It’s frustrating, because you can see that he’s got a great set of wheels and a good skill set, but nothing seems to come together.

#95 Tnias Mathurin: Mathurin has me scratching my head in a different way. A 2022 draft pick and 18-year-old North Bay Battalion defenseman, the 6’3,” 197-pound defender looks like he’s going to grow into a massive stay-at-home guy, but, like Buium, he’s got a big, lanky body, and he’s got enough raw skill to indicate that he might be more than a steady #6 defenseman.

Goaltenders:

#31 Andrew Oke**: Oke is definitely a work in progress, and then some. The free agent invite from the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit had a rough, rough year for a Spirit team in rough shape, and the 6’2,” 200-pound goaltender has solid-enough fundamentals, but his self-confidence is utterly absent after going 13-16-and-1 with a 4.63 goals-against average and .848 save percentage. He’s working on his skills and he has improved over the course of four days, though. So there’s hope.

#35 Carter Gylander: Heading into his junior season at Colgate, the 6’5,” 185-pound 21-year-old has indeed been able to tamp down some of the massive rebounds that the blocking-style butterfly goaltender gives up. He’s going to do his best to reclaim the starting job he lost this past campaign, and his agility and mobility (as well as his wingspan) afford him the opportunity to improve if he chooses to continue working hard.

#68 Connor Murphy**: Very big and heavy at 6’4″ and 200 pounds, with immaculate form, the free agent invite from Union goes into his senior year hoping to squeeze the squeakers out of his game. He’s struggled between arm and body, around his five-hole and over his glove and blocker, and he’s just going to have to put his mind toward playing more consistently going forward. He’s not going to be a Red Wings prospect, but he’s here to learn after all.

TEAM LINDSAY:

Forwards:

#21 Kienan Draper, RW: At 20 years of age, but having played two seasons as an overage player in the BCHL, the 6’1,” 198-pound Draper looks like he could actually put on a good 15 pounds while seriously improving upon the consistency of his inconsistent game at the University of Michigan. He posted 50 points in 53 BCHL games with the Chilliwack Chiefs this past year, and while he doesn’t skate as well as his dad, and he drops his stick a lot, the hiccups and mistakes which mar his game mar strong passing and shooting, good middle-six skill and heads-up vision. He just needs a little more time to really solidify his game.

#37 Chase Bradley, LW: Bradley is evidently a hard-working forward, but the 5’11,” 180-pound Connecticut sophomore is 20 years of age, and he just hasn’t managed to establish himself. Playing with a physical edge, he’s looked quite good but not great in the skating and skill drills, and I believe he’s got more to offer.

#43 Carter Mazur, LW: If Mazur keeps developing on the track he took over the course of his freshman year at the University of Denver, the Red Wings are going to be very happy. Still growing into a 6,’ 173-pound body, he posted 38 points in 41 regular season and playoff games as a national championship-winning freshman, and the snarly, gritty Mazur is a hard-working, hard-nosed, blue-collar player who happens to be able to pass and score with aplomb, especially in tight to the goal, and even in the skill drills, it’s evident that he’s a very good skater, and that he’s a pain in the ass to play against as he’s tremendously competitive and tenacious.

#54 Robert Mastrosimone, C: Mastrosimone, on the other hand, transferred from Boston University to the Arizona State University Sun Devils to jump-start his career going into his senior year. The 21-year-old posted a very solid 24 points in 34 games for BU, but he knows that he’s running out of developmental runway, so the self-possessed young man feels that Arizona State will provide him with a better opportunity to blossom in his fourth year of college hockey. He’s an excellent skater and he’s got game, but the disparate parts thereof have not come together.

#57 Cole Knuble, RW**: A free agent invite, the 5’10,” 175-pound Knuble just hasn’t grown into his body yet. He posted a superb 49 points in 62 USHL games during his first draft year, but the 18-year-old offensively-minded forward has talent that comes in fits and spurts. He skates much, much better than his father, he’s a good passer and shooter, he’s a little physical and particularly composed for a “kid,” so he’ll head back to Fargo before attending the University of Notre Dame hoping to be drafted by an NHL team (Detroit?) next summer.

#63 Sam Stange: The Natural Athlete, Stange is maddeningly inconsistent, but he’s tremendously naturally skilled. Sometimes that’s a blessing, and sometimes that’s a curse. The 6’1,” 208-pound University of Wisconsin junior scored like mad in high school, but he doesn’t get the job done at the NCAA level, where he posted a measly 11 points in 37 games last season. Tony Granato’s Badgers still expect Stange to blossom into the goal-scoring forward his skill set suggests he can become.

#64 A.J. Vanderbeck, C**: Another free agent invite, the 25-year-old Northern Michigan University graduate was a point-per-game player at the NCAA level, but the 5’11,” 185-pound center needs to turn pro this upcoming season just to find a place to play, and as he’s not stood out over the course of development camp, he’s learning, but he’s not necessarily going to grow a lot more as a player.

#67 Redmond Savage, C: Utterly gritty and tremendously hard-working, the 19-year-old Miami of Ohio sophomore embraces being a bottom-of-the-lineup penalty-killer and fourth-line grinder, and that’s fun to see. Not big at 5’11” and 185 pounds, Savage just out-works and out-hustles his opponents, skates superbly, and plays with a nasty edge that can only be matched by Carter Mazur’s competitive streak.

#94 Mitchell Martin, LW**: Another free agent invite, the Sudbury native posted a strong 40 points in 65 games with Kitchener of the OHL, but the 6’4,” 199-pound wing has yet to impress as a 19-year-old who’s got a year left to be drafted. I see flashes and glimmers of skill, but that’s about it.

#96 Amadeus Lombardi, C: Already an excellent skater at 18, the undersized (5’10,” 165-pounds) center posted a very good 59 points in 67 games with a stacked Flint Firebirds team, and the 2022 draft pick is 19, so he’s proof that players not drafted at 18, who are still filling out physically, can make an impression that’s draft-worthy. He’s enthusiastic and hard-working, and his skill set is still a bit raw, but evident.

#97 Owen Mehlenbacher, C: The Wings’ 201st overall draft pick this past week, on the other hand, is just plain raw. At 6’2″ and 189 pounds, Mehlenbacher posted 42 points in 56 games for Muskegon of the USHL, he’s headed to the University of Wisconsin Badgers, and there are skills in terms of skating and shooting, but they aren’t evident on a consistent basis. He’s just plain raw and needs time to develop into the kind of offensive contributor he was at the USHL level.

Defensemen:

#44 Donovan Sebrango: Wise and wily at 20, the 6’2,” 195-pound defenseman is going to be a rock-solid second or third-pair grit machine at the NHL level. Having played in 96 AHL games already, Sebrango is a strong, maneuverable skater, he’s got a swashbuckling shot and passing sense, but he’s going to earn his bacon out-competing, out-working and out-hustling his opponents while driving them nuts with his physicality. He’s gentle off the ice and mean on it, and that’s a great combination.

#55 Kyle Aucoin: Aucoin was excellent in today’s skating drills, but the Harvard sophomore hasn’t impressed as of yet skill-wise. He posted 2 points over the course of his first 30 NCAA games, and the 6,’ 175-pound defenseman is still “finding himself” in terms of his skill set. He’s got a “good gap.”

#75 Drew Bavaro**: Another free agent invite, the 22-year-old Bentley junior is headed to Notre Dame on the transfer market trying to improve upon a 27-points-in-36-games season. He’s not stood out, but he’s got time to develop.

#77 Oscar Plandowski: Also raw! Plandowski is 19, heading from Charlottetown of the QMJHL to the Drummondville Voltigeurs, and the 6,’ 190-pound defenseman hasn’t put his offensive game together, but my goodness, can he skate. Perhaps the change of scenery will re-start him.

#83 William Wallinder: Wallinder is heading back to Sweden for one more SHL season with Rogle BK, and at 6’4″ and 190 pounds, there’s some physical maturing for him to do, but the Swede playing with borrowed equipment possesses top-pair skills, top-pair skating and is just establishing himself as a steady pro in the men’s league at 20 years of age. There’s a ton to like about Wallinder’s smooth game.

Goaltenders:

#33 Sebastian Cossa: At 6’6″ and 215 pounds, with some room to grow out physically, Cossa is a massive behemoth of a netminder, and the self-composed, cocky-but-not-jerk-ish goalie is probably headed back to the WHL champion Edmonton Oil Kings, despite his intentions to play in the Red Wings’ direct developmental system this upcoming season. With 33 wins in 46 appearances this past season, the athletic, sharp-toed, sharp-gloved, smart-blockered goaltender just needs to work on the few holes in his game (5-hole and above the glove and blocker), needs to work on his stick-handling a bit, and needs to emphasize consistency as he projects to be a starting goaltender at the NHL level in the not-too-distant future.

#36 Owen Flores**: Flores, another free agent invite, is like Oke–there’s not a lot of self-confidence in the 6’2,” 170-pound goaltender. Dominant at the Ontario Junior level but shaky at the OHL level with the London Knights, the 18-year-old is just too tightly-wound and tight in his stance. He’s learning this week, learning a lot, but there’s not a lot he can’t improve upon.

#80 Pierce Charleson**: One final free agent invite, the 6’2,” 193-pound Michigan State University junior has confidence and has great fundamentals as a hybrid butterfly netminder, but the 22-year-old has yet to put his game together in terms of results, going 3-and-8 in 12 starts for MSU this past season. Needing to find consistent form, and a bit more moxie, Charleson has absorbed what he’s learned thus far and visibly improved.

*=Grand Rapids Griffins contract, **= Free Agent invite

Okay, that’s it for me for today. I have to post a couple more articles and then go upstairs and feed the aunt, and get prepared for tomorrow. I’m not sure how the 3-on-3 tournament will go at all, and I’m not sure what observations I can make on Day Five that haven’t already been made, but I’m hoping that seeing the players in even something remotely resembling a hockey game will be eye-opening for all of us (given that the Wings will stream the games).

I’m exhausted and a bit miffed given what happened today (no, not the way free agency went), but I hope you’ve enjoyed the third day’s observations. Even if you’re skimming them and gathering stuff about this prospect or that prospect, and then scrolling past the rest, this is for everybody, and I hope I’ve been an OK pair of eyes.

This has been physically, mentally and emotionally engrossing after my 7-month absence, but I’m incredibly grateful to be doing this, so I’ve given you my “all,” and I will continue to do that as I am able.

As you know by now…

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